Commitments to continue ecumenical dialogue despite "concern" over the issue of gay clergy were made by members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) and the Catholic Church during a recent meeting between the groups in Rome.

The meeting was part of a two week "Ecumenical Journey" conducted by the ELCA, where lay and clergy leaders from the church made visits to Anglican, Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic leaders in Europe.

The conference with the Vatican leadership, which included Cardinal Walter Kasper, leader of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU), occurred on Feb. 12 in Rome.

The ELCA's presentation focused on local ecumenical relationships the church has formed with Catholics, with examples including joint celebrations the two groups have held during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Mitzi J. Budde, professor at Virginia Theological Seminary, noted that the Washington (D.C.) Theological Consortium includes Lutheran and Roman Catholic institutions, and that the consortium's seminary offers a doctor of ministry program on ecumenism and interreligious relations.

"These students who are studying at this level will be very involved in grassroots ecumenism," Budde said.

Representatives also noted that the ELCA has full communion agreements with six other U.S.-based Protestant churches, and has now implemented three-year plans to fulfilling those commitments.

"That helps to guide us, especially in mission," the Rev. Donald McCoid, executive for the ELCA Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations said.

In responding to reports, Cardinal Kasper said that the ELCA "is a viable church (with) viable ecumenical relationships," from whom Roman Catholics could learn, but also noted "concern" over the ELCA's 2009 decision to allow openly-gay Lutherans to serve as clergy and professional lay leaders.

"We are concerned, but the dialogue goes on," Kasper said. "We want to continue … so we do not interrupt any dialogue."

Kasper added that while such "fragmentations" in the Protestant world have "bothered" Vatican leaders, he hopes that the two churches do not "go too fast from each other."

"I think it would be very detrimental to our dialogue and could divide us after all this beautiful work we did," he said. "This is a concern, and I know it's a challenge also not only for us but also for the other."

Kasper's words brought encouragement to the ELCA delegation, including the Rev. Robert D. Hofstad, who said he would share the remarks with his colleagues, some of whom have also been displeased over the ELCA Assembly's decisions.

"If our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters can say to us, 'do not go away from each other too fast,' then how can we in the ELCA be running away from each other with such speed, at least in some anecdotal instances?" Hofstad said.

"How can we be running away from each other so fast when we have a commitment from people like yourselves, and a hope to say 'please let us not run away from each other too quickly?'"